Overwatch's Ana Can Stun You So Hard You Quit Playing

Overwatch’s [official site] newest hero Ana has only been out for about a week, but players have already discovered a way to use her abilities in what is the most creative form of in-game trolling I have yet to see in Overwatch. A video posted to the Overwatch subreddit details the process, in which three characters play Ana and use their sleep darts to keep an opponent knocked unconscious (and therefore unable to move) for so long that the game mistakenly believes them to be inactive and boots them from the game. I wouldn’t even be mad, that’s genius.

The first hero to be added to Overwatch’s roster post-launch, Ana is a powerful support character armed with a sniper rifle that can dole out both health and damage depending on whose head she hits. But it’s her sleep dart that’s causing havoc, as the projectile can knock an opponent unconscious for 5.5 seconds, leaving them completely vulnerable and immobile. Now normally characters would take that opportunity to blast them to hell, but Youtuber Youmuus and two pals discovered that by timing their sleep darts properly, they can keep a hero perma-sleeped until the game decides that they’re obviously AFK and boots them. Because the cooldown on sleep darts is 12 seconds, having three Ana’s is necessary.

Now, before anyone gets too outraged at the potential this has to sabotage a player’s game, it’s worth noting that this strategy is only viable in casual games because ranked play restricts teams from doubling or tripling up on one type of hero. And while the video above demonstrates that it’s possible in theory, keeping an opponent sleeped and alive long enough to be booted would be a huge challenge during a live match when others are trying to kill you. It’s possible, but unlikely, and it’s certainly not something that will win you the game.

Either way, it’s hilarious and I can’t help but smile at this kind of thing. It’s probably not a stretch to say that Blizzard will address the issue somehow as it’s evident that the hidden timer that tracks whether or not you’re actively playing needs to be adjusted to compensate for being knocked out. But if you’re playing Overwatch and you notice the enemy team has three Ana’s, you might want to keep your head down.